Announcing the Latest Impact Report From Okta For Good
From the moment Okta for Good was founded, its mission became a core part of Okta’s purpose—and that mission has never felt more vital and urgent than it does now.
Our world today is facing numerous challenges, from rising economic inequality and racial injustice to climate change and the ongoing global pandemic. These issues don’t occur in isolation. They’re all connected—and so are the solutions for addressing them.
As Okta for Good turns five, we’re releasing our second annual Impact Report to hold ourselves accountable and transparently share the progress we’ve helped to enable in FY22. As part of Okta's commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues and transparency, we’re also excited to share that we’ve taken the first steps to align Okta for Good’s objectives and initiatives with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Here’s a preview of the report.
Key takeaway 1: Expanding our global reach
Over the last year, Okta deployed $5M in cash giving with participation from the Okta for Good fund, Okta, and our employees—a 22% increase from FY21. We gave strategic grants to 86 different organizations across 13 diverse geographic regions and reached nearly 3,000 more through employee giving and volunteering, thanks to participation from 85% of Okta employees. But that’s not the only way Okta for Good has grown.
We made strong progress against our funding commitments this year as well. We’ve deployed $6.5M toward our goal of $10M out of the Okta for Good Fund by the end of 2023. And we have committed $2.9M of our $3M goal across Okta for Good and Okta’s co-founders to support organizations working on racial justice.
Okta also joined forces with Auth0 in FY22, and we’re excited to make even more of an impact in our communities together. Auth0.org has distributed more than $1M in grants to over 35 organizations since its inception in 2020, and the Auth0 team has given over 1,000 hours of their time to charities. Together, Okta for Good and Auth0.org are growing our mandate to maximize impact and drive change.
Key takeaway 2: Empowering tech-for-good innovators
In FY22, we donated $5M in technology and services, representing a 41% year-over-year increase that helped even more nonprofits serve their communities. And, we continued to drive innovation through our Nonprofit Technology Initiative, which launched in 2020. We added two new programs in 2021:
The Nonprofit Technology Fellowship selects and supports diverse nonprofit technology leaders, elevating them and their ideas so they can help to drive innovation forward for the entire social sector. This year, eight Nonprofit Technology Fellows were included in the six-month leadership development program.
The Okta for Good Innovation Lab is a more recent addition, kicking off in fall 2021 with a mission to identify nonprofits that are transforming how identity technology can be deployed to protect vulnerable people. Through the Innovation Lab, these organizations receive two years of hands-on support and consulting, along with tools and funding, to help them reinvent how nonprofits deliver security and services.
Key takeaway 3: Deepening our focus on equity
In addition to committing nearly $3M in direct grants for racial justice, Okta for Good committed in other ways to advance equity across workforce development, the digital divide and climate resilience.
Our workforce development programs took a big leap forward with the addition of the Equity Accelerator and Business Development Associate programs. These initiatives enable technology, business, and sales teams across Okta to bring in high-potential candidates from historically marginalized and excluded communities. This past year, 42 new employees and interns were hired through our workforce development initiatives, and they’ll carry their learnings, best practices, and network of professional support with them into their future careers.
Our annual Tech Pathways Week event also entered its fifth year in FY22, connecting 465 job seekers and students with Okta employees for training, mentorship, and networking opportunities. This year, we expanded the program beyond Okta, awarding multiyear grants to 15 global partner organizations that are building and nurturing “tech pathways” in their own backyards.
And with the launch of Okta’s first public climate commitments in FY22, we also initiated new philanthropic partnerships that address the ways in which climate change is disproportionately impacting marginalized communities.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
To better inform our long-term strategy and increase our accountability to stakeholders, we’ve aligned Okta for Good initiatives with four top-level SDGs:
- SDG 17: Partnership for the Goals is our overarching frame for working through partnerships and ecosystems to effect change.
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth aligns to our workforce development initiatives.
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure aligns to our work supporting better digital infrastructure for the social sector through Okta’s technology and philanthropy.
- SDG 13: Climate Action aligns to Okta’s sustainability efforts.
Of all the insights and learnings we captured in this year’s report, perhaps the most important one is that we can’t do this work alone. Okta for Good and our partners accomplished much over the past year, but we’re still early on in our journey. It will take continued collaboration and trust to address the issues we face. We look forward to finding even more ways to deepen our commitment to our communities alongside our partners in the year ahead.
Read the 2022 Okta for Good Impact Report to learn more about our programs and outcomes.
